Comparación de cuatro pigmentantes incluidos en la dieta de pollos broiler.

Abstract

In today's poultry farming, the color of the skin and, in some cases, of the egg yolk, represents a key element in the consumer's acceptance of the product. In various regions of the world, such as Latin America, Asia and Europe, skin with yellow or orange shades is valued, since it is associated with freshness, good condition of the bird and higher product quality. The pigmentation achieved in poultry depends on several factors, including the type and dosage of pigment used, its biological availability, the bird's intestinal health, as well as factors specific to the animal such as age, sex and genetics. Given this reality, it is essential to compare different pigmentants to identify which are the most effective in terms of color intensity, shade homogeneity and economic viability. Based on this, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of four different pigmentants incorporated in the diet of broiler chickens, focusing on their effect on skin and tarsal coloration, with the intention of generating useful information for producers serving markets with high visual and quality requirements. A total of 200 chickens were randomly distributed in 5 different treatments, with 4 replicates each, at the Estero Medina site in the Santa Rosa canton. Treatments included pigmentant variation (Control, Florafil, Pigmento Broiler, GP Oro 40 and Tagetes erecta). The results indicated that T4 (GP Oro 40) showed the highest pigmentation, but was the most expensive, T2 (Florafil HP) achieved similar pigmentation to GP Oro and was considerably cheaper. On the other hand, T1 (control) was the least costly treatment and provided the highest live weight of chicks and little pigment, which represents a higher profitability for poultry production. This research demonstrates that the inclusion of pigmentants in broiler diets can improve tarsal and skin pigmentation, but the choice of pigmentant must consider both efficacy and cost. Florafil HP stands out as an efficient and economical alternative, while the control treatment offers higher weight gain and profitability for the poultry sector.